The Vodacom Bulls returned to winning ways in the United Rugby Championship, scraping past Connacht 28–27 in a tense Round 4 encounter in Galway on Friday night.
Pre-match odds on Betway reflected the balance between the two sides, Connacht at 2.00, the Bulls at 1.97, and a draw at 24.00, and the contest lived up to that billing.
Paul de Wet was the match-winner, scoring two tries in his first start for the Bulls. The visitors, led by Reinhardt Ludwig, made 11 changes from their loss to Ulster, while Connacht welcomed back Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham, and Mack Hansen.
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Connacht opened strongly through Josh Ioane, who converted his own try, but De Wet hit back after a sharp break from Sebastian de Klerk. The hosts then lost flanker Josh Murphy to a 20-minute red card for striking Jan-Hendrik Wessels, and the Bulls capitalised as Willie le Roux finished off a counterattack to lead 12–7.
Keagan Johannes extended the lead early in the second half with a drop goal before Connacht responded through Caolin Blade. The Bulls reasserted control when De Klerk once again set up De Wet for his second try, with Johannes adding a penalty.
Connacht refused to fold, with Sean Naughton scoring late and converting a penalty before Hansen’s try in the 79th minute brought them within one. But Naughton, given two chances to convert after a Bulls infringement, missed both attempts, sealing a narrow victory for the visitors.
The Bulls, now three wins from four, move on to face Glasgow Warriors, while the Irish side travel to Limerick to meet Munster.
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Photo: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile via Getty Images
